Background: The presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) results in heart attacks twice the time in people with MS and in thrice the time the chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke in those with MS when compared with normal individuals. Identifying individuals with MS appropriately and managing them at early stages are important.
Objective: To measure the prevalence of MS using the NECP/ATP III and the WHO criteria and compare the differences between the two criteria in assessing the prevalence of disease in addition to identifying the different factors associated with MS among chronic disease patients in primary health care.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at chronic disease clinics in Alwazarat primary care center during the period between February and March 2014. It included a sample of 250 patients attending the chronic disease clinics. A questionnaire was designed to interview the patients and collect the information regarding their socioeconomic status, smoking habits, physical activity, and history of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Information about their body mass index, blood pressure measurement, and the laboratory tests were recorded in a different checklist.
Result: The prevalence of MS among the patients based on the NECP/ATP III and the WHO criteria was 36% and 39.1%, respectively. On the basis of both the criteria together (NECP/ATP III and the WHO), the prevalence of MS was 29.3%. High fasting blood sugar was the highest prevalent component of MS based on the NECP/ATP III criteria (96.3%), followed by low HDL-cholesterol level (82.7%) and abdominal obesity (76.5%), while the highest prevalent component of MS based on the WHO criteria, in addition to impaired glucose level, was obesity (59.1%), followed by high triglycerides level (53.2%), and low HDL-cholesterol level (40.9%). Obesity, ex-smoking, and history of DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia together were significantly associated with MS.
Conclusion: This study showed that there is no significant difference between the WHO criteria and NECP/ATP III criteria for the diagnosis of MS. The approach to the management of all cardiovascular risk factors as MS must be considered.
Key words: Metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, WHO criteria, NECP/ATP III criteria, Saudi Arabia
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